First Blog of My Own

Hokey-pokey, so I finally entered the blogosphere. Don't ask me why, 'cause I don't know, unless it's because some perverse side of me needs to be ignored by another bunch of people. Not that I'm bitter or anything :-)

However, I do have something to say today. I managed to get my next-to-last book in my backlist uploaded to Kindle and Smashwords! Yuppers. SWEET CHARITY, first published as a Berkley Homespun book in 1997, and such a sweet historical romance, you'll probably need insulin after you read it, is now available as an e-book for the paltry fee of $2.99! Wow, whatta deal, huh?

That means I only have probably my least favorite book (of those I've written), MY WILD IRISH ROSE, to be formatted and uploaded. Well, there are three novellas and a couple of westerns, but those will just have to wait. More about them later, I guess.

Honestly, if you've ever thought an author has any control over his/her career, read this blog. Or don't, but it really will explain some things. I originally started writing historical romance novels set in the western United States. Mind you, as a city kid, I didn't have a single clue how a ranch or a farm operated; therefore, I set my books in places other than ranches or farms. SWEET CHARITY, for instance, takes place in a tiny territorial town called Diabolito Lindo and features Jake Molloy, a rather rough-and-tumble preacher, and Gracie Molloy, his sort-of foster sister. I figured I'd write Berkley Homespuns for years and years. Hmm. I just thought of another blog topic: family values, which were what Homespuns were supposed to exalt. More later on that.

Shows how much I knew. As soon as I'd finished my second book for the Homespun line, I was told by my editor that they were canceling the Homespun line, and wouldn't I like to write paranormals for their Jove Haunted Hearts line. Well . . . as a matter of fact, no, I wouldn't like to write paranormals. For anybody. However, needs must, so I began writing paranormals for Jove's Haunted Hearts line.

And then the Haunted Hearts line was canceled. Would I write a book set in Ireland for their Irish Eyes line? WHAT?????? Okay, my heritage is Scots. I don't have a clue about how life is carried on in Ireland. Or Scotland, for that matter, although I have a slightly better handle on Scotland than Ireland. The first things that pop into my head when I think Ireland are leprechauns, religious wars, famine and alcoholism. Unfortunately, Berkley didn't want any of those things to appear in their Irish Eyes books. So I went to the library, checked out every book I could find on Ireland, and wrote the blasted book with an American female as the heroine. Hey, you do what you have to do.